Get Into It

In 1987, Big Daddy Kane's first single "Get Into It"/"Somethin' Funky"/"Just Rhymin' With Biz" was released on Prism Records. Kane, who was brought into the Juice Crew by Biz Markie, was employing a multi-syllabic style similar to what Rakim, KRS-One, and Kool G. Rap did the year before.

Kane's brilliance was immediately noticeable on "Get Into It," where his cadence matched the offbeat drum pattern of the "Kool Is Back" drum loop by Funk Inc that was sampled on the track.

The old school back & forth flow of "Just Rhymin' With Biz" showed another peek into Kane's mastery of words, but it was "Somethin' Funky" which sealed the deal, showcasing Kane's cleverness and wit with lines like "I give ya’ girl the kiss of death just like a vampire, stomp out M.C.’s just like a campfire/I go Rambo gigolo Romeo – Friday night spend money on a ho-tel to get a good night’s sleep.”

Raw

It was obvious that Kane was one to look out for after his first single, but his follow-up single, “Raw/Word To The Motherland," was also released in 1987, solidifying Kane, while also creating anticipation for a full release.

“Raw” was the song that inserted Kane’s name into the conversation with the other lyrical giants that were emerging in the mid to late '80s period — affectionately known as the first Golden Era.

“Word To The Motherland” was the piece that showed that Kane was not only a superior wordsmith, but that he also possessed knowledge of self – fitting nicely among his counterparts like Public Enemy, Rakim, and the emerging Afrocentricity that was surrounding the music and the culture.

A radio promo freestyle of “Raw” featuring Kool G. Rap was circulated furthering the anticipation for an album.

Aint No Half Steppin'

"Aint No half Steppin" was not only an incredible song, but it was Big Daddy Kane's first video. There was now the signature swag and high top fade to match the witty lyrics and vocal tones that fans had come to respect and love.

In an exclusive interview with Rock The Bells, Kane explains how the track came together. "That was a sample by the Emotions called 'Blind Alley' that I got from Biz Markie,” he remembers. “It was the same day that Biz found the 'Get Out My Life Woman' record. He had been lookin’ for it for two years and he called his DJ, Cutmaster Cool V, because he was so excited. I said that means that you don’t care about this Emotions record and he told me that I could have it. I grabbed it, and I always wanted to use that 'Ain’t No Half Steppin’' hook because that was street slang that we used. I took it all to Marley’s crib and he hooked it up and I laid vocals. It became a masterpiece."

Long Live The Kane

Dropping in 1988, Hip-Hop's most celebrated year for album releases, Long Live The Kane satisfied the hungry Hip-Hop junkies who awaited a full release from King Asiatic. The album features the Brooklyn MC showcasing his lyrical virtuosity on a number of tracks.

One of the most notable is the rhyme tour-de-force, "Set It Off."

“I was hangin’ with Biz at [superproducer] 45 King’s house," Kane recalls. "And he played a beat that he tailor-made for Biz that was really slow, but Biz didn’t like it. I said that I would take it, but I wanted it faster. He knocked it up a few beats per minute, but I asked for it to be much faster. 45 found that interesting because that was the original tempo of the beat, it was only slowed down to match Biz’s flow. He took that disc out and put another one in with the same beat at the faster tempo with a sample on it, but he said that I couldn’t have it because it was for a Public Enemy remix and he was waiting on confirmation [for]."

But Kane's persistence paid off.

"A few weeks later, he called and told Biz that I could have it," says Kane. "During that time, I was listening to a James Brown compilation, and there’s a horn breakdown on 'Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved' and I knew I wanted that for the beat, so I got Marley to add it. I was also inspired by 'Sex Machine' from that same compilation, and I wanted something to match the energy from the intro when James is talking and then the beat drops. I said the let it roll, get bold intro and then the beat came in after. That structure came from 'Sex Machine'. That’s my favorite song to perform from my catalog, period. If I’m losing energy on stage, or I’m in pain and moving slow – 'Set It Off' takes me there automatically as soon as that beat drops."

"I'll Take You There" is the tale of a world that Kane wishes for without crime and conflict, with a Staples Singer hook. As it was still the time when DJ's received dedications on rap albums, "Mister Cee's Master Plan" showcases DJ Mister Cee on the turntables while the album's title track shows why Kane is considered one of the best to ever do it.

Long Live The Kane has stood the test of time and is still a great album three and a half decades after its release.

Check out Big Daddy Kane at this years Rock The Bells Festival at Forest Hills Park in Queens.